After almost literally 20 years of waiting, MINI has relented and will be offering a black belt line or as MINI calls it, a black waistline. It’s been a highly prized aftermarket add-on for years and now MINI is getting in the game with official piano black trim.

First spotted by a longtime reader in South Africa, the option goes well with the other Piano black trim that MINI offers for the door handles, fuel cap and other pieces of trim. On the site it’s listed under “MINI Original Accessories” which to us means it’s being offering post-sale. Whether it’s installed at the port or at a dealer is unclear but it would seem unlikely that it’s a factory option at this time. It would appear that the black belt line trim is only available on the F56 hatch for the time being.

Black belt line

MotoringFile Take

Finally. We really don’t need to say much more than that but a black belt line has clearly been a popular aftermarket move for almost decades now. MINI Design had previously been against blacking it out as they felt it was instrumental in the MINIs design. While we agree it’s a crucial element, the form of the current car (with it’s slightly more bulbous hips) simply doesn’t need it to be chrome to work.

We’ll have more when we get it. Until then check out the look below.

  • Black belt line